[Q] Xperia Z1 Compact vs SO-02F Help Needed

If you can get phone call, but no data connection, it is more likely that you forgot to configure the APN settings in Android. Thoses settings aren't built-in the SIM card.

Follow this link, it should fix your problem. http://apn-settings.com/t-mobile-apn-settings-step-by-step-configuration/

Hum, so if I understand correctly, you can't even connect to 3G or LTE for phone calls, only 2G is working on your phone?

If that is the case, have you tried flashing a ROM from another region? Might be that somehow the BAND4 is disabled in the East Asian ROM.

I'm using the Generic UK .757 ROM on my D5503 without any problem and I can see the Vidéotron AWS network when I scan for networks. Vidéotron use the same BAND4 then T-Mobile USA. My carrier (Fido) use LTE on BAND4, I'm using it at the moment.

My guess is that you have a ROM that disabled the BAND4 3G and LTE.

According to the Sony whitepapers, there's only two version of the Z1 Compact, the D5503 and the M51w.

The M51w lack LTE capability. Otherwise both phone supports 3G over BAND4.

See page 5: http://dl-developer.sonymobile.com/documentation/whitepapers/Xperia_Z1_Compact_D5503_WP_4.pdf

What model number is your Z1 Compact? M51w or D5503?

GuizmoPhil said:

What model number is your Z1 Compact? M51w or D5503?

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Click to collapse

I thought only China got M51W, and all the other Z1C were the same globally, with the exception of Z1f, where the hardware does differ slighty.



Anyway, Mr/Ms OP, can you check the most basic thing, just so that we can be sure it is something to do with the radio?

Settings -> More....(one line under Xperia connectivity) -> mobile network settings -> Mobile networks -> Network mode -> and then choose the appropriate like LTE (preffered) and make sure it is not on GSM only.

The phone does not come set like this by default (to GSM only) so it is highly unlikely, but I have seen other users who couldn't connect to 3/4g because of this setting.

The more likely culprit is radio compatibility. While Z1c covers t-mobile band IV, looking at wikipedia for NTT Docomo (which is what Z1f should comply to) Z1f does not cover 1700 MHz (UMTS1700 (Band IX(4)).

Docomo devices should cover 1,3,9, 19 and 21, and since 4 is not on there, this could be the cause.

I don't know if this is the reason for sure, but I would assume so.
Assuming that the SoC and antenna are identical in Z1f and Z1c... and
If all above is true, yet you want to use it with in the U.S., you have the choice of changing the carrier, or changing the firmware and radio.
I know Z1f can be rooted, and that is the first step.
Once it is rooted, you can change the firmware.
It might be easier to unlock the bootloader and flash the relevant firmware on it, but that convenience comes with certain terms and conditions..

Let`s trade phones I will give you my Amami(Z1Compact) for your SO-02F! As far as I know SO-02F has TV Tuner

@cyko

Simply put, I believe that you can flash z1c firmware.

This will render some features like tv tuner redundant, but this should be the least of your concerns, assuming that ofutside of Japan it won't work anyway.

If you do not require root, then flashing is straight forward. You should download the latest flashtool and flash an unbranded Rom of your choice. Just choose a region of Rom that has the same band of LTE as yours.

My guess is that this should be enough to make your phone work. My educated guess is that the antenna within these 2 variants are identical. Even though I did not try the LTE, I had a DoCoMo Rom briefly on my z1 compact, and it worked fine, with reception and all.

jewelkobayashi said:

@cyko

Simply put, I believe that you can flash z1c firmware.

This will render some features like tv tuner redundant, but this should be the least of your concerns, assuming that ofutside of Japan it won't work anyway.

If you do not require root, then flashing is straight forward. You should download the latest flashtool and flash an unbranded Rom of your choice. Just choose a region of Rom that has the same band of LTE as yours.

My guess is that this should be enough to make your phone work. My educated guess is that the antenna within these 2 variants are identical. Even though I did not try the LTE, I had a DoCoMo Rom briefly on my z1 compact, and it worked fine, with reception and all.

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Click to collapse

I highly doubt cross-flashing a Z1C firmware is going to enable Z1C 3G/LTE frequencies.

I think they meant to flash the new z1c firmware for your z1f. As on the tutorial from other thread, to rooted this phone it needed to flash the docomo firmware before flash the other firmware to rooted the phone and it worked for me. I am currently using the uk firmware for my z1c and i lived in Australia. Not so sure if it would work for your case but imo, it is worth to give a shot to see if it works. It is better to waste more money to get something done but if it can be fixed by simply a different firmware. Just follow the guide and you will be all right. All the best of luck man.

cyko said:

@Rekoil & @jewelkobayashi

I appreciate the input you have given in this thread. Here's the dilemma I'm facing.

I really can't see how a ROM is going to change the hardware specs. As you can see in my post #6, UMTS1700/2100 (B4) is not listed in the hardware specs of the SO-02F. I could be totally wrong about this, but I guess there's a small possibility that the hardware inside the two models is identical, and programming could be what enables the different cellular networks. IF that IS the case, I don't know the appropriate means to achieve my objective. Are we talking "Firmware", Radio, or ROM?

I'm heading back to Hong Kong in a couple weeks, and I could trade this in on the regular Z1C. I'm sure I'll take a financial hit on trading in at the shop I bought it from, but it is a possible solution.

I'm all up for flashing it, but it would really be helpful if someone could enlighten me on the chances of it working and the proper procedures I need to take to bring it back to exactly stock OEM configuration if it doesn't work. I'm fairly comfortable playing with hardware, but this is my first Sony. It would be great if someone could point me to the exact procedures for backing up the stock configuration and the best options for the T-Mobile USA network.

Thanks!

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Click to collapse

Find out your customisation number (*#*#SERVICE#*#* > Software Info > Customisation ID), find (or create, there are guides on other Sony phone forums) an FTF of this version, flash Z1C radio (if that doesn't work, try flashing full system/boot/radio, lastly try a full Z1C FTF), if you get a signal, congrats, if not, flash the FTF you found/made and swap the phone out at the retailer, make sure to boot it at least once first.

I should note that I have no idea what this will do to the phone, but most likely there won't be any damage since those of us with Z1C can safely cross-flash to SO-02F in order to root and save our TA partitions without unlocking bootloader.

I think that is a hardware limitation that cannot be changed with another software.

Sent from my D5503